No, this scenario is not about a hockey player preparing for the drop of the puck. It's about a singer getting ready to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner." Specifically, it's a look inside the mind of Gianna Acca.
The 17-year-old junior from Rocky Hill High School performed the national anthem at the Hartford Wolfpack game Friday, Feb. 26. With friends and family looking on, she stepped out onto the ice at the XL Center in Hartford and belted out the same song she had sung to open some of her high school soccer games. This time, however, was the first time she performed the anthem at an arena.
"It was really exciting," Acca said. "I wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be."
In fact, nerves were much more prevalent with her parents. Victor and Mari Acca said they were nervous for their daughter but also very confident in her abilities.
"She did a great job," Victor Acca said. "She has a lot of guts doing that."
"She's done great," Mari Acca said. "Her father and I are very proud of her."
The praise for Gianna's anthem went beyond just her proud parents. She had a few rows worth of supporters in section 101 - Gianna said she focused on them when she was singing - and all of them gave her performance a thumbs up, including Gianna's Aunt, Dawn Mitera.
In fact, it was Mitera's idea for her niece to apply to sing the national anthem at a Wolfpack game. Gianna sent in an audition tape last season but the season concluded without any response. Gianna figured she hadn't been selected and put it out of her mind. Then, as Mari Acca put it, "out of the clear blue" her daughter got a letter this fall asking her to perform the anthem at a game.
"When I heard from them I was really excited," Gianna said. "I was very surprised that they remembered me from that long ago."
When she spread the news to her friends, they immediately expressed interest in going to see Gianna perform. Mari Acca said the nearby location of the XL Center made it easy for friends and family to attend. And since the family enjoys hockey, she said it was nice for her daughter to be able to sing the anthem at a Wolfpack game.
Gianna's uncle, Rick Mitera, is the team chaplain for the Wolfpack. However, he did not tell anyone his niece sent in an audition tape until after she was selected.
"She did it all on her own," Dawn Mitera said.
Gianna's math teacher, Nathan Swartz, and chorus teacher, Claire Burnett, also attended the game. Burnett said she has never had a student perform the national anthem at a major state sporting event in the 30 years she has been teaching at RHHS.
Gianna, who performs in the RHHS chamber and conert choirs, first sang the national anthem at a high school soccer game her sophomore year.
"My coach [bill Pacelia] found out I sang from one of my teachers and asked me to do it." Gianna said. "I can't say no to him."
Since then, she's proven she has a knack for singing what is widely considered one of the hardest songs for any vocalist to perform.
"It starts very low," Gianna said, "and it ends very high so no matter what key you put it in, you're either having trouble with the low part or the high part. That's what's difficult about it."
Gianna said she has a standard warm-up routine she goes through before she sings the national anthem. She also uses a pitch pipe to find her starting note.
Though performing in an arena was different, Gianna said she would definitely do it again. She loves to sing and plans to continue doing so beyond high school. Ultimately, she said she would like to be an entertainment lawyer specializing in music.